Solar Powered Flood Lights

[sun light]

Hi guys!

I'm kinda new here and i wanted to ask for info. I read in some article that there are solar powered flood lights being manufactured and sold. Anyway, i really like the aesthetic designs of these flood lights.

My question is if you guys would know how these solar flood lights are installed? do they even require installations?

And how long do they last?


thanks!

[dave45]

Solar cells/panels should last many decades if they are not physically damaged... they just fade away - i.e. performance slowly drops off. Batteries last a lot less long and it depends on the technology used - lead-acid, Nickel-Cadmium, Lithium etc - and on how well the charging is controlled to suit the technology (e.g. overcharging lead-acid batteries can kill them). How long the lightbulb lasts depends again on its technology. I don't know what a solar floodlight might use.

How well a system like that you describe works thus depends entirely on its design and engineering.

By way of example, I have a bunch of those solar garden lights... after a year approx 50% don't work. A tiny solar cell charges a regular rechargeable battery hidden inside which powers a single white LED. The failing ones have corrosion on the battery terminals, presumably caused by dampness. A different 50% have fractured plastic stalks that stick them in the ground. Poor quality thin plastic which is UV-degraded. These things are engineered for cheapness not longevity. You couldn't assemble the bits to make your own for 10 times their price - you can even get them in the pound shops now. If you kept them out of the sun and rain, they would last longer!...

Also they only really work well in summer as thats when there is most sunlight. You need them most in the dark winter evenings. That is entirely down to the postage-stamp size of the solar cell - mismatched for that purpose. If it was 5 times bigger it would work in winter too.

A different solar garden light has a clear plastic cover over the solar cell which has gone brownish and "crazed" after a year from UV degradation - an utterly useless design unfit for purpose, but you'd never tell looking at it new.

AFAICS there is no reason not to have a high-quality design solar garden light that lasts 10 or 20 years. But you'll not find one. They are all tat. Throwaway junk after 1 or 2 years.

who knows how your floodlights are engineered?!

[Greenman]

Hi Sun Light,

Dave is right on the mark here. I have 6 solar powered garden lights in the pool area of my backyard. Buying cheap is a false economy. I won't mention brands as I don't want to get into any troubles/debates, but normally the more expensive the light the longer it will last. I had a similar experience to Dave, after about 12 months half of the lights we're not working at all, and the others had so little battery life if was hardly worth it. I did some research and purchased better quality solar powered lights, and so far so good. I also recommend the lithium-ion powered lights.

You can read more information at this site I found on the topic - Solar Powered Lights

[Green Aura]

Er, I don't wish to offend, this is a genuine question. Why would you want floodlights? All the answers seem to assume you mean garden lights.

[Brod]

When they said floodlights I assumed they meant something like security lights.

http://74.125.77.132/search?q=cache:xvW ... clnk&gl=uk

Dont think the garden lights you get at the big DIY store would count as floodlights by any stretch of the imagination

How long do they last ? do you mean service life or length of usable light ? in terms of light all the lamps I own give about 4 hours usable light (In summer, half that in winter) dropping by about a hour a year as the rechargable batteries degrade

[sunnybp]

I'm not sure if you mean solar motion sensor light. The brand ***** is for your reference.

edited by admin - please don't spam your website!